Introduction
Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials Companion Guide (CCNAv7) is the official supplemental textbook for the Cisco Network Academy CCNA Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials version 7 course. Cisco Networking Academy is a comprehensive program that delivers information technology skills to students around the world. The curriculum emphasizes real-world practical application while providing opportunities for you to gain the skills and hands-on experience needed to design, install, operate, and maintain networks in small- to medium-sized businesses as well as enterprise and service provider environments.
As a textbook, this book provides a ready reference to explain the same networking concepts, technologies, protocols, and devices as the online curriculum. This book emphasizes key topics, terms, and activities and provides some alternate explanations and examples compared with the course. You can use the online curriculum as directed by your instructor and then use this Companion Guide’s study tools to help solidify your understanding of all the topics.
Who Should Read This Book
The book, as well as the course, is designed as an introduction to data network technology for those pursuing careers as network professionals as well as those who need only an introduction to network technology for professional growth. Topics are presented concisely, starting with the most fundamental concepts and progressing to a comprehensive understanding of network communication. The content of this text provides the foundation for additional Cisco Networking Academy courses and preparation for the CCNA certification.
Book Features
The educational features of this book focus on supporting topic coverage, readability, and practice of the course material to facilitate your full understanding of the course material.
Topic Coverage
The following features give you a thorough overview of the topics covered in each chapter so that you can make constructive use of your study time:
Objectives: Listed at the beginning of each chapter, the objectives reference the core concepts covered in the chapter. The objectives match the objectives stated in the corresponding chapters of the online curriculum; however, the question format in the Companion Guide encourages you to think about finding the answers as you read the chapter.
Notes: These are short sidebars that point out interesting facts, timesaving methods, and important safety issues.
Chapter summaries: At the end of each chapter is a summary of the chapter’s key concepts. It provides a synopsis of the chapter and serves as a study aid.
Practice: At the end of each chapter is a full list of all the labs, class activities, and Packet Tracer activities to refer back to for study time.
Readability
The following features assist your understanding of the networking vocabulary:
Key terms: Each chapter begins with a list of key terms, along with a page-number reference from inside the chapter. The terms are listed in the order in which they are explained in the chapter. This handy reference allows you to find a term, flip to the page where the term appears, and see the term used in context. The Glossary defines all the key terms.
Glossary: This book contains an all-new Glossary with more than 300 terms.
Practice
Practice makes perfect. This Companion Guide offers you ample opportunities to put what you learn into practice. You will find the following features valuable and effective in reinforcing the instruction that you receive:
Check Your Understanding questions and answer key: Review questions are presented at the end of each chapter as a self-assessment tool. These questions match the style of questions that you see in the online course. Appendix A, “Answers to the ‘Check Your Understanding’ Questions,” provides an answer key to all the questions and includes an explanation of each answer.
Labs and activities: Throughout each chapter, you will be directed back to the online course to take advantage of the activities created to reinforce concepts. In addition, at the end of each chapter is a practice section that collects a list of all the labs and activities to provide practice with the topics introduced in the chapter.
Page references to online course: After headings, you will see, for example, (1.1.2). This number refers to the page number in the online course so that you can easily jump to that spot online to view a video, practice an activity, perform a lab, or review a topic.
About Packet Tracer Software and Activities
Interspersed throughout the chapters you’ll find a few Cisco Packet Tracer activities. Packet Tracer allows you to create networks, visualize how packets flow in the network, and use basic testing tools to determine whether the network would work. When you see this icon, you can use Packet Tracer with the listed file to perform a task suggested in this book. The activity files are available in the course. Packet Tracer software is available only through the Cisco Networking Academy website. Ask your instructor for access to Packet Tracer.
How This Book Is Organized
This book corresponds closely to the Cisco Networking Academy Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials course and is divided into 16 chapters, one appendix, and a glossary of key terms:
Chapter 1, “Basic Device Configuration”: This chapter explains how to configure devices using security best practices. Included are initial switch and router configuration, switch port configuration, remote access configuration, and how to verify connectivity between two networks.
Chapter 2, “Switching Concepts”: This chapter explains how switches forward data. Included are frame forwarding methods and collision and broadcast domain comparison.
Chapter 3, “VLANs”: This chapter explains how to implement VLANs and trunking in a switched network. Included are explanations of the purpose of VLANs, how VLANs forward frames in a multiswitched environment, VLAN port assignments, trunk configuration, and DTP configuration.
Chapter 4, “Inter-VLAN Routing”: This chapter explains how to implement inter-VLAN routing. Included are descriptions of inter-VLAN routing options, router-on-a-stick configuration, Layer 3 switch inter-VLAN routing, and troubleshooting common inter-VLAN routing configuration issues.
Chapter 5, “STP Concepts”: This chapter explains how STP enables redundancy in a Layer 3 network. Included are explanations of common problems in redundant Layer 2 networks, STP operation, and Rapid PVST+ operation.
Chapter 6, “EtherChannel”: This chapter explains how to implement EtherChannel on switched links. Included are descriptions of EtherChannel technology, EtherChannel configuration, and troubleshooting EtherChannel.
Chapter 7, “DHCPv4”: This chapter explains how to implement DHCPv4 for multiple LANs. Included is an explanation of DHCPv4 operation, as well as configuring a router as a DHCPv4 server or DHCPv4 client.
Chapter 8, “SLAAC and DHCPv6”: This chapter explains how to implement dynamic address allocation in an IPv6 network. Included are explanations of how an IPv6 host acquires its addressing, SLAAC operation, DHCPv6 operation, and configuring a router as a stateful or stateless DHCPv6 server.
Chapter 9, “FHRP Concepts”: This chapter explains how FHRPs provide default gateway services in a redundant network. Included are explanations of the purpose of FHRPs and HSRP operation.
Chapter 10, “LAN Security Concepts”: This chapter explains how vulnerabilities compromise LAN security. Included are explanations of how to use endpoint security, how AAA and 802.1X are used to authenticate, Layer 2 vulnerabilities, MAC address table attacks, and LAN attacks.
Chapter 11, “Switch Security Configuration”: This chapter explains how to configure switch security to mitigate LAN attacks. Included is port security implementation as well as mitigating VLAN, DHCP, ARP, and STP attacks.
Chapter 12, “WLAN Concepts”: This chapter explains how WLANs enable network connectivity for wireless devices. Included are explanations of WLAN technology, WLAN components, and WLAN operation. In addition, the chapter discusses how CAPWAP is used to manage multiple APs for a WLC. WLAN channel management is discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of threats to WLANs and how to secure WLANs.
Chapter 13, “WLAN Configuration”: This chapter explains how to implement a WLAN using a wireless router and a WLC. Included are explanations of wireless router configuration and WLC WLAN configuration for both WPA2 PSK and WPA2 Enterprise authentication. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how to troubleshoot common wireless configuration issues.
Chapter 14, “Routing Concepts”: This chapter explains how routers use information in packets to make forwarding decisions. Included are explanations of path determination, packet forwarding, basic router configuration, routing table structure, and static and dynamic routing concepts.
Chapter 15, “IP Static Routing”: This chapter explains how to implement IPv4 and IPv6 static routes. Included are static route syntax, static and default routing configuration, floating static routing configuration, and static host route configuration.
Chapter 16, “Troubleshoot Static and Default Routes”: This chapter explains how to troubleshoot static and default route implementations. Included are explanations of how a router processes packets when a static route is configured, and how to troubleshoot command static and default route configuration issues.
Appendix A, “Answers to the ‘Check Your Understanding’ Questions”: This appendix lists the answers to the “Check Your Understanding” review questions that are included at the end of each chapter.
Glossary: The Glossary provides you with definitions for all the key terms identified in each chapter.